Several family members and friends want to know how it all works at a travel agency. Am I really saving people money or do I have to jack up the price in order to make commission? I’ll explain it in the video below:
- Book a trip with me
They say getting there is half the fun. For me, researching a trip and booking is half the fun. That’s honestly one of my favorite parts of a trip. I may actually enjoy it more than going on the trip itself. While I enjoy it, there’s several people out there who simply don’t. They don’t have the time to research all of the places nor would they want to if they have the time. That’s where a Travel Agency comes in handy. We enjoy researching trips and getting an itinerary together for clients, whether it’s a special birthday trip, an anniversary, family reunion, or no special event at all. This is what we are passionate about and enjoy helping others get to their destination.
- My Service is Free
When you book with a travel agent, there’s a common misconception that we “jack up” the price you pay in order to get a commission on the service. That’s a myth. You will pay the same amount (if not less) than you would pay if you were booking the trip yourself. A similar example is the OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) such as Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, etc. If you’ll notice, those prices often time are the same as going to the actual hotel or airline’s website (if not cheaper). Yet, they still manage to make a commission and be successful. So, to answer questions about that, there is no jacking up the price. Additionally, if you work with a Travel Agency they will offer you the opportunity to make payments until you take off. That’s a huge advantage to clients who get a head start planning ahead but simply don’t have all the funds needed up front to make it happen.
- Sit Back, Relax, and Let Me Do the Work
After you give your travel agent all relevant info such as name, # of passengers and their age, travel dates, preferred destinations (if possible), and budget, we go to work (on your behalf). You sit back, relax, and enjoy the privilege of not having to be on hold with a sales rep for hours on end while we work through your burning questions: “Can they cater to my dietary restrictions?,” “What events do they have going on at the property then?” We don’t mind reaching out to hoteliers and coordinating everything on your behalf to save you hours. So as you can see, this is a win-win situation. You have the trip of your dreams booked with the flexibility of making payments, the travel agent gets to do what they enjoy which is researching your trip for you and making sure it’s everything you hoped it would be and more, and the travel agent gets paid a commission on top of their base pay to be rewarded for their time.
Do I think Travel Agencies are for everyone’s needs? No. There are certainly trips like backpacking Europe where self-guided trips the client is taking while staying on someone’s couch via couchsurfing.com isn’t really a good fit. Travel agents get a commission mostly off of hotels (not airlines) so unfortunately that would not work. But for those staying at a hotel somewhere and needs suggestions on places to go / things to see, Hire a Travel Agent.
